


Silver Lining

by cwags_7



Category: Firefly
Genre: Baby, Kid!Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-08
Updated: 2014-05-08
Packaged: 2018-01-24 00:58:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 3,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1585817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cwags_7/pseuds/cwags_7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In hindsight, she could have made do without a new compression coil. <br/>If only she had thought of that then.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There would have been kids in the Firefly 'verse. Just my take on how it would have happened.   
> All rights to Joss the boss, of course. Enjoy :)

Kaylee

Kaylee awoke, gasping for breath, sweat pooling in the palms of her hands. The terrifying images flashed through her tortured mind even as she sprinted for the toilet and retched miserably through hot tears. The dank, musty smell of the alleyway, the drunk's threatening whispers in her ear, knife pressed coldly against her throat, and then-  
Oh, god, oh god.  
Her stomach swirled again and she emptied the rest of last night's dinner. Kaylee wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear, fall into one of those black holes Jayne would tell campfire stories about. This was the fifth time this week. There was nothing else it could be. What would Mal say?  
Another avalanche of tears dripped down her nose at the prospect of disappointing her captain. Because of course he'd be disappointed. They'd all be. Mal would probably kick her off the ship.  
And Simon. Oh, Simon. What was he going to think? She'd ruined what little progress they'd made, and for what? A stupid compression coil. Disgust. That's what he'd feel. Disgust and disappointment and anger. And she'd never see him again.  
It broke her heart.  
Kaylee reached over and pulled the blankets from her bed, wrapping them around herself in a nest on the floor. Misery. Abject misery. She sobbed into her pillow, trying not to make too much noise. Shepherd Book's cabin was just across the hall. If anyone found out, she'd be doomed.  
It wasn't as if she had much time left anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Inara

It was at least 10:30 Persephone time when Inara woke, yawning lazily into her satin-covered pillow. Mmm, it was late. Her last few clients had been extremely... fit. Rolling out of bed, she was just pulling on a dressing gown when a knock sounded on the shuttle door.  
"Jìnlái," she called, sitting down at her dressing table.  
Shepherd Book entered and bade her good morning. "We're having breakfast," he said in his calm, deliberate voice. "I was wondering if you would care to join us?"  
"Yes, thank you. I'll be there shortly," she replied, smiling. "It was kind of you to ask," she added. After the awkwardness of their first meeting, Inara felt she needed to make it up to the Shepherd. She just wasn't sure how.


	3. Chapter 3

Jayne

Jayne had been awake early, polishing his guns. Vera only  
needed a little touch up, but the rest had fallen into terrible disrepair. Shameful. What would his Momma say? Jayne grunted and rubbed the cloth along the barrel of his favorite pistol harder. He'd make it up. They'd be shiny new before breakfast.  
Except Shepherd Book barged in to announce breakfast before Jayne had finished.  
Gorram Shepherd. Now he was caught between his love of food and his love of guns, which was a mighty sticky place to be.  
Eventually, food won.  
Jayne threw open the door of his bunk, already feeling a foul mood coming on. He hadn't meant to hit Kaylee, though. He guessed she had been just walkin' down the hallway at the wrong time, that's all. With a shriek, Kaylee lunged to escape the flying door and plastered herself to the other side of the hall, panting, eyes wide with fear.  
"Gorrammit, Jayne!" she yelled. "What the dìyù was that for?"  
Jayne shrugged. "Easy now! Keep your socks on. Didn't see you there is all. You comin' to breakfast?"  
"Uh, no," she said, eyes darting to the floor. "Gotta check on the spare extrapolator in the engine room. Because if that goes, you know, then the extenders fail, then we're gonna start to roll, and then I'll have to recycle the power through the core containment filter, which-"  
"Uh, right, right," said Jayne, cutting her off. She was starting to make his head hurt. "Well, you go do that then."  
Kaylee smiled quickly and dashed off down the hallway. Hmm. Jayne had a funny feelin'. Somethin' just... Not right. He shook his head. Breakfast was a lot less confusing than women.


	4. Chapter 4

Book

Book was beginning to miss the abbey. Well, maybe not the abbey, but at least real food. There were, after all, only a finite number of ways one could prepare protein bars in an appetizing manner for breakfast.  
The crew of the Serenity was gathering in the dining room to eat before the day's work. As Book understood it, they were stopping off at Boros today to see if they could get a job. Zoë made a face as she took her protein bar, but Wash fixed it with a kiss. Mal entered, teasing Inara, but for once they seemed to be on good terms. River flounced in, followed by the ever-hovering Simon, and Jayne. It warmed Book's heart, the way this crew loved each other. Even if some of them would never admit it.  
He said grace over the table silently again, but the awkwardness had gone - Mal had just accepted it as a daily ritual now, and the rest of the crew had no objection.  
It was ironic that just as Book was reflecting on the crew's familial love, they had all forgotten about Kaylee.  
Except Simon.  
"Anyone seen Kaylee?" he asked about halfway through the meal.  
"Oh! Um, I did," Jayne mumbled through a mouthful of food. "Said she was gonna check some engine parts or something. Didn't really ask."  
Zoë smirked. "Didn't wanna know?"  
"Hey," Wash interjected. "Give the guy a break. Kaylee gets talking machines and all of a sudden your brain liquefies."  
They all chuckled at that, and Zoë gave him a friendly punch on the arm.  
"Seriously," Simon said after the laughter had subsided, "Where is Kaylee?"  
"She's likely fine, Simon," Mal replied, amused. "She don't show up by the end of breakfast, maybe we'll send someone to look for her. Probably just lost in the machines."  
Silenced, Simon turned back to his plate. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with his mechanic.


	5. Chapter 5

Kaylee  
Kaylee had meant what she said when she told Jayne she was going to check on the engine room. She just had another stop to make first. Silently, she tiptoed to the infirmary and winced at the pneumatic swish as the door opened.  
Please, she prayed to every god she knew, don't let anyone hear.  
The gods must be with her, she thought, as she slipped inside and headed to the medicine rack. Rows of clear plastic tubes lay neatly stacked next to the needle  
gun, courtesy of Simon's propensity towards cleanliness.  
Kaylee began to rifle through them. There had been some headache medicine she had seen, she knew, it must be here - Ah. The blue label was stamped with a red danger symbol:  
Warning: Abortive. Do not use if pregnant or planning to become pregnant.  
Kaylee hefted the tube in her palm and took a deep breath. This was it. She reached for the needle gun.  
And a hand clamped down on her shoulder.  
She just managed to stifle her scream with one hand, dropping the tube on the countertop and spinning to face her attacker. But it was only River. Oh. Kaylee took a deep breath.  
"Hello, sweetie. Is there something you need?" she asked gently.  
River frowned and shook her head. "Not her fault."  
"Sorry?" Kaylee asked, confused.  
River reached out and brushed her fingers across the front of Kaylee's overalls. "Not her fault."  
Oh. Now she understood.  
Could she really do this?  
She knew the answer. She'd always known the answer. She didn't have the strength.  
Or maybe, she didn't have the heart.  
"Okay," she said softly, replacing the tube and the needle gun back on the rack.  
"Okay. But this is our secret, right, River?"  
River smiled and placed a finger against her lips. "Shhh."  
"Right," said Kaylee. "Shhh."  
Footsteps echoed down the hallway. "River?" Kaylee heard Simon call. "River? Where are you?"  
"Oh, no, no!" Kaylee whispered in fear. Simon couldn't find her here! He'd ask, and then she wouldn't be able to lie to him, and then the truth would come spilling out. Kaylee sprinted to the other side of the infirmary and fiddled with the pressure lock on the other door, trying to get it to unlock. "Come on, come on!" she hissed. "Come on, open up!"  
With a swish, the lock released and the door slid open. Kaylee ducked through and ran as quietly as she could around the next corner, where she stood waiting, panting against the wall.  
She heard Simon enter the infirmary just as the back door slid shut, and silently hoped he hadn't noticed. "River? What are you doing in here? Was there someone else in here with you? I thought I heard voices," she heard him say.  
She could practically feel River's smile through the wall. "Shhh."  
Kaylee sighed in relief. Thank god. River would keep her secret. For now.


	6. Chapter 6

Mal

It was about midmorning before anyone noticed again that Kaylee hadn't shown up, and this time it was Mal.  
He was in his room, doing "captain-ey" things, as he liked to describe them to Inara, when Wash called down from the bridge.  
"Captain? You might wanna get up here."  
Mal grunted and heaved himself off his bed (he'd been napping, and Wash had better have a damn good excuse).  
Wash spun around in his chair as Mal jumped the last two steps to the bridge. "What's up, Wash?"  
"Well, looks to be a minor mechanical failure, Cap'n. Nothing to worry about too much, but the radar's sort of gone blank. Which could be a problem."  
"Go-se," Mal swore under his breath. "What the hell, Kaylee?" Then he stopped. "Kaylee."  
"Huh?" Wash mumbled. "Yeah, that's what I was sayin'. We gotta get Kaylee - oh. Kaylee."  
"Yeah," Mal nodded. "You seen her at all today?"  
"Nope," Wash said, with mounting anxiety. "You?"  
"Nope." Mal bit his lip. "Here's the deal. You stay put, just keep flying this thing. I'm gonna go look for her."  
"A-ok, Cap'n," Wash called from the cockpit at Mal's retreating back. "A-ok."  
Something made Mal run, some sort of uneasiness that pervaded his mind. He just hoped everything was ship-shape-shiny with his mechanic.


	7. Chapter 7

Kaylee

Kaylee fiddled with the lug nuts on the spare extrapolator, trying to get them to the optimum tightness. Too tight, and the metal cap was prone to warp. Too loose, and the cap would rattle, which could eventually spark a fire in the engine room. Which was Kaylee's worst nightmare.  
But the machines talked to her, and the ship told Kaylee just how tight those lug nuts should be. She wasn't worried in the slightest. Only mere mortal mechanics had to worry about engine fires. She was the god of the machine, and nothing happened in her engine room unless she made it so.  
Kaylee slid out from under the metal casing and sat up, wiping the grease from her face with a filthy rag. On second thought, it probably didn't help much, but she didn't care. She always felt most at home when she was covered in engine grease tinkering with machines.  
On to the core containment filter. Kaylee estimated about eight months since the last replacement, and they were really only supposed to last for three. Thank god she'd convinced Mal to buy a new one on Persephone all those weeks back.  
Kaylee boosted herself up on top of one of the ventilation pipes and balanced precariously on the curving surface, using one of the monkey bars she'd installed for support. She swung to the next bar and grinned. Now she was back in her element. Everything would be okay. Swing. Swing. The filter was in the far left corner. If she could just reach it - she went for an upside-down swing for the extra power and landed clumsily, a little dizzy. Whoo, that was a head rush. Kaylee reached out for the next bar, but couldn't see it. Her head was swimming, black spots creeping up on her vision. She stumbled, looking for the next ring. Where was - She felt herself pitch forward and flailed her arms, searching for a handhold – The blackness swarmed over her vision.  
Kaylee didn’t feel herself hit the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

Simon

River was sorting cans of food while Simon did the dishes, which he was happy to let her do as long as she didn't rip the labels off.  
"Peaches," she announced to the kitchen, and plopped the can down on the counter. "Eggplant." She made a face. "Yuck."  
Simon chuckled. Neither of them had ever liked eggplant. "River, you remember that one time at the Cambersons' dinner party when they served eggplant-" No. Of course she didn't remember.  
"Tomatoes," she said gleefully, another can in hand. "Beans - No! No!" she began to shriek, and dropped the cans to the floor with a clatter. "No," she whimpered, falling to her knees and cradling her head in her hands. "No, no, no..."  
Simon dropped the dishes into the scalding water and ran to her side. "River? River, it's okay, listen-"  
River shook her head. "No. Not okay. Never okay, Simon. Always something. Always, always, always..." She trailed off, beginning to cry.  
"Shhh, River, shhh, it's okay," Simon whispered to his baby sister, encircling her in his arms and rocking her back and forth. "Shhh..."  
Footsteps on metal echoed down the hallway and Book ran in, breathless. "Doctor, the Captain wants you in the infirmary. Best make haste." He paused for breath. "It's Kaylee."  
Simon's heart jumped into his throat. He leapt to his feet. "Kaylee? Why? Is there something wrong?"  
"Don't know, boy," Book said, still panting. "Captain sounded a mite frantic, though."  
Simon was halfway out the door before he remembered River. He turned and gestured to her. "Would you...?"  
"I'll take care of her, doctor." Book settled down on the floor next to the weeping girl. "You just go fix our mechanic."


	9. Chapter 9

Simon

When Simon got to the med bay, Mal already had Kaylee laid out on the examination table. He was holding her hand and whispering, "C'mon, Kaylee girl, you gotta wake up."  
For a moment, Simon couldn't breathe. The sight of Kaylee lying there, helpless, hurt… what if he couldn't fix her? What good would he be if he couldn't fix the only thing he was glad of on this ship?  
Then his surgeon training kicked in and he strapped on an apron and gloves. "What happened?" he asked, all business.  
"Dunno myself," Mal replied. "Found her in the engine room, must’ve fainted or something. Arm looks a pretty thing too-" He pulled the blanket aside to reveal her left arm, splayed at an awkward angle, obviously broken. "Maybe cracked it on the control panel when she fell. Managed to shut down the radar, almost gave Wash a heart attack." The smile in his voice didn't reach his eyes. "You fix her up, doc, shiny, you hear?" His eyes bored holes into Simon's soul.  
Simon gulped. "I'll do what I can."  
Mal nodded and moved to leave, then stopped. "I just want you to know, doc. Kaylee... She means a great deal to a lot of us."  
Simon nodded. "I know." Mal left, pulling the door shut behind him, and Simon leaned down to press his lips softly against Kaylee's forehead. "She means a great deal to me, too," he whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

River

One plus one makes three. One plus one makes three. One. Plus. One... "Three," she said to Book, who was sitting at the kitchen table. She giggled. "Three's a family."


	11. Chapter 11

Simon  
After setting Kaylee's broken arm (it was a clean break, thank god), something made Simon take a tiny blood sample from her finger. One tiny droplet, just in case.  
The results were something of a shock.  
His eyes widened and he took a step back, even as the numbers spilling across the screen listed all positives for symptoms that could only fit one condition.  
What? ...How?  
Simon felt a heavy weight drop into his chest. Maybe there was someone else. Maybe he'd misinterpreted? He was a fool, of course. Hoping, only to have his hopes crushed. As always.  
The door hissed open and Mal stepped back in, anxiety written all over his face. "Well? She gonna be okay, doc?"  
Simon spun around and stepped in front of the monitor readout, on the off chance that Mal had some wildly specific medical training. For some reason, he felt that Kaylee should be the one to tell the others, not him. "Oh! Uh, yes. I think she'll be alright. My guess is she took a swing too fast and blacked out. Then, of course, the broken arm would have sent her into shock," Simon lied through his teeth, all the while trying to make sense of what he had just seen. "I doped her. She should be waking up any minute."  
As if on cue, Kaylee mumbled something and shifted. Mal moved over to the bed.  
"Hey there, little Kaylee. You doin' okay?"  
Kaylee blinked sleepily. "Shiny, Cap'n," she said with a groggy smile.  
"Alright," Mal said. "Now you just get better, okay? I'm gonna go, but I think Inara might drop in later."  
"'Kay, Cap'n," Kaylee whispered, already falling back asleep. Mal left with a grateful glance in Simon's direction.  
"Kaylee..." Simon began.  
Kaylee's eyes snapped open in realization. "You took a blood sample," she gasped, trying to sit up.  
Simon held his hands out to stop her and settled her back on to the pillow. “Hey, hey, calm down. Take it easy.”  
“But you did,” Kaylee insisted. She held up the finger with the tiny white bandage on the tip.  
"Well, yes." Simon fiddled with the buttons on the cuff of his shirt, unsure as to how to continue. "Then you’re aware – ”  
“So you know,” Kaylee stated blandly, eyes fixed on the floor.  
“Yes,” Simon said quietly. He turned to the sink and stripped his gloves off, turning on the tap to wash his hands. Tension settled heavily between them. What was he supposed to say? That he’d thought all wrong? That he’d been played with and manipulated?  
That she’d broken his heart?  
It was only the sound of soft sniffles behind him that kept the acidic words from flying out of his mouth.  
“Simon,” Kaylee sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks, “I’m so sorry.” She buried her head in her hands, afraid to look him in the eye. “This wasn’t supposed to happen – I was just looking for a compression coil, and there was this man, I think he was drunk, and he had a knife…”  
Simon’s eyes widened in shock. “Shun-sheng duh gao-wahn,” he swore, realizing what had happened.  
It took less than half a second for Simon to cross the room and wrap his arms around Kaylee. Hateful words were forgotten as he held her and shushed her gently. “Shhh, baobei, it’s alright…”  
“No, no, it’s not alright!” Kaylee wept, trembling in his arms. “Mal will probably kick me off the ship, we’d only slow him down, and you –” She took a deep breath. “I understand if you don’t want… if we’re not… good… after this.”  
“Kaylee?” Simon pulled back and lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. “What are you talking about?”  
“Well, I thought… Maybe you wouldn’t like me as much. After you knew. Find somebody else who isn’t… who doesn’t have… strings attached.” Kaylee ducked her head, trying not to look at his face.  
Simon froze. Could she really think that? That he’d brush her off and leave her behind for something that wasn’t even her fault? “Kaylee,” he said forcefully, causing her to look up again. “I’m not going anywhere.”  
A grin broke out across Kaylee’s tear-stained face. “You’re – you’re not?”  
“No, silly! And if you thought otherwise then you’re a xūshè,” he laughed, burying his nose in her hair as her sobs quieted. “I’m staying right here.”  
"Oh, thank god," she whispered, crying grateful tears of relief. "Thank god."  
They sat for a while, Simon rocking Kaylee gently back and forth, in silence.


End file.
